Chris Bosh expects muted malice in Toronto return

April 12, 2011|By Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel

TORONTO — Chris Bosh will take the same results. He's convinced he won't have to take the same wrath.

Just as LeBron James' second road appearance against the Cleveland Cavaliers drew a muted response compared to the antipathy the first time around, Bosh is confident the jeers and sneers won't be nearly as pronounced for his second visit against the Toronto Raptors after leaving the team as a free agent last summer.

"I think the edge is off, especially with it being the last game of the season now," Bosh said of the Heat's Wednesday night visit to Air Canada Centre. "If they had something to play for, it would be a totally different story."

Actually, neither team has much to play for, with the Heat locked into the No. 2 Eastern Conference playoff seed and an opening-round best-of-seven series against the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Raptors yet again out of the playoffs.

Bosh, in fact, might not even play, with the postseason opening this weekend. Then again, the All-Star power forward's first return made the court time worthwhile, with 25 points and six rebounds in a 103-95 Feb. 16 Heat victory.

In many ways, the end of the season has justified his free-agent means.

"I don't want to offend anybody, but kind of," he said, with the Heat eying a championship and the Raptors another extended offseason. "It's kind of exactly the position I thought. It shows why I made the decision I made."

Unlike the Heat's first visit, which came on the second night of a back-to-back set, Bosh found himself with a day off Tuesday in Toronto.

"I'll catch up with a couple of my old friends, reminisce," he said. "We have a day there this time, so I get to eat at my old, favorite restaurant, so I'm sure I'll see a lot of people that I haven't seen in a while. Hopefully they'll be a little bit nicer because it's warmer."

Whether that warmth is felt inside Air Canada Centre is another story.

"I'm sure there still be some," he said of lingering malevolence. "It's one last hurrah for the season."

Jones up; Miller down

In many ways, the Heat's season has stood as a tale of two shooters. On one hand there has been James Jones, reliable when called upon. On the other has been Mike Miller, who has been beset by injuries.

Monday's 98-90 victory in Atlanta was another chapter in their ups and downs.

While Jones hit a pair of crucial late 3-pointers, including one he converted into a four-point play, Miller aggravated the thumb injury he sustained the previous day against the Celtics and then twisted his left ankle.

Of the ankle, Miller said, "It's all right. It's a lot better than the thumb is, that's the good thing. My left thumb is gone, man."

For Jones, it was another example of ready, willing, able.

"That's what they need me to do," Jones said. "If I'm not making shots, then I'm not doing my job."

Monday he was a needed zone buster.

"Sometimes he doesn't play for long stretches, sometimes it varies game to game, within the game," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "But he has ice in his veins. When he's needed in the fourth quarter, he'll hit big shots."

Road warrior

No matter his statistics if he plays, which is unlikely, or whether he sits out Wednesday against the Raptors, Elias Sports Bureau confirmed that James will lead the league in road scoring average for a fourth consecutive season.

James, who will finish second to Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant in the overall scoring race, is averaging 27.9 points on the road.

His road streak is the longest since Michael Jordan lead the league in road scoring average for seven consecutive seasons, starting in 1986-87.